Rohru Hospital Staff Shortage | High Court Pulls Up Himachal Pradesh Director Of Health For "Dilatory Tactics" In Filling Vacancies

In a scathing verdict on the Himachal Pradesh government, the High Court has demanded a detailed report explaining the "dilatory tactics" employed in addressing the severe staff shortage at Rohru Civil Hospital. The Court, acting on a Suo Motu Public Interest Litigation (PIL) expressed deep concern about the lack of progress despite previous directives.Earlier this year the High Court had taken cognisance of the issue when a news report published in a leading newspaper had highlighted the severe shortage of para-medical staff at the Civil Hospital in Rohru, prompting the court's intervention.During the hearing, the bench comprising Chief Justice MS Ramachandra Rao and Justice Jyotsna Rewal Dua perused the fresh status report filed by the respondents on the subject and noted that 13 posts out of 33 posts of staff nurses are yet to be filled up from the waiting panel drawn up by HPSSC and the remaining 20 posts were pending to be filled up on batch-wise basis. Commenting on the report the bench said that a similar statement had been made in the status report filed on October 10, 2023, and expressed dissatisfaction over the lack of progress in the two-month interim period.Finding that the status report filed by the state today offered no new solutions, merely reiterating the same plan presented two months ago, the bench recorded,“We fail to understand why the process of filling up of 33 vacancies in the Civil Hospital Rohru, should wait till March 2024, since it is not the case of the respondents-State that illness to the citizens will get postponed after March 2024, and nobody will fall ill in the intervening period”.Maintaining that the critical staff shortage at Rohru Hospital cannot be delayed any further the Court has directed the Director of Health Services to submit a comprehensive report by the next hearing, detailing the reasons behind the delays and outlining a concrete action plan for immediate recruitment and deployment of staff.The matter has now been posted on 19.12.2023 for further consideration.Case Title: Court on its own motion Vs. State of H.P. Click Here To Read/Download Order

Rohru Hospital Staff Shortage | High Court Pulls Up Himachal Pradesh Director Of Health For "Dilatory Tactics" In Filling Vacancies

Basit Amin Makhdoomi

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